actually

adverb

ac·​tu·​al·​ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē 

-sh(ə-w)ə-lē;

ˈaksh-lē,

ˈaks-

1

: in act or in fact : really

trying to find out what actually happened

won't actually arrive for an hour

2

: in point of fact

—used to suggest something unexpected

was surprised to learn that she could actually speak German

Synonyms

• admittedly
• forsooth
• frankly
• honestly
• indeed
• really
• truly
• truthfully
• verily

Examples of actually in a Sentence

actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home

I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt.

Recent Examples on the Web

While interest rates on cars are increasing rapidly in some states, in a select few others, rates are actually decreasing. —Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 10 Nov. 2024

Perhaps the only saving grace is that the announcement to the public was so delayed that many of those animals were actually eaten before consumers knew there was a problem and there were no reports of illness. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024

The Ravens actually stopped the Bengals on 4th-and-goal from inside the five, but a defensive holding penalty extended the drive. —NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024

But down in the pop field, Swift actually underperformed. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English actuelly, from actuel, actual actual + -ly -ly entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

actually

adverb

ac·​tu·​al·​ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē 

ˈak-sh(ə-w)ə-lē

: in fact or in truth : really

she actually spoke Spanish

actually, I didn't want to go